


luonnonvoima

by feiro



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, First Kiss, First Meetings, Frottage, Injury, M/M, Sheith Halloween Exchange 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 15:24:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16663372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feiro/pseuds/feiro
Summary: As a Servant of the Forest God, Keith has always had only one purpose — to tend to the forest. It would be a lie to claim he hasn’t been curious about humans, hasn’t contemplated the possibility of reaching out to them. But he does not know what his master would think of it; it could very well awaken his ire. It might not be worth it to be the one to test that.Then one day, Keith doesn't have a choice.





	luonnonvoima

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Val_Creative](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Val_Creative/gifts).



> Written for the [Sheith Halloween Exchange](https://vldexchange.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Happy very belated Halloween, [Val_Creative](http://nooowestayandgetcaught.tumblr.com/)! When I was matched with you and saw you were interested in mythology & folklore, I came up with an idea that was (very loosely) based on Finnish mythology and this fic is the result. I really hope you enjoy it! Also HEAPS of apologies for being so late with my gift, life stuff really kicked my butt for a moment there. I hope this turns out to be worth the wait.

The forest is eternal. Keith could say the same for himself, but time isn’t a thing to his people, really. It’s a human invention, something needed to keep their lives organized, to know when to sow and reap.

 

It doesn’t matter in the woods. He and his kind - people of the God of the Forest - don’t need to sow nor reap. They take care of the forest, keep it beautiful, keep the plants and animals sustained.

 

Humans haven’t been there for long, but they have changed things. They’re not like animals, they do not fall under the domain of Keith’s sire. Instead they make their homes in little communities, build shelter, control fire. Keith has always been very impressed by them.

 

Since the very beginning of time, nature has had a balance. Predators hunt prey, and neither should be too numerous. Then came the humans, with their spears and bows, and joined the predators in thinning down the animal population. But the Forest God is wise, and knows all that goes on, adjusting accordingly. So the humans are welcome now, so long as they respect him and all the creations in his kingdom. They seem to have caught on, and these days they ask for the God of the Forest for fortune in their hunts. This has pleased Keith’s master, and so there is a balance in peaceful co-existence again.

 

To what extent humans know about the existence of his kind, Keith is not sure. They’ve come to worship the Forest God in a way, to respect him. They speak of his wife, his children, his servants. But humans love tales, and they could think of all this wonder as just another one of those.

 

It would be a lie to claim Keith hasn’t been curious, hasn’t contemplated the possibility of reaching out to a human. It’s tempting, but he does not know what his liege would think of it. There’s no guarantee it wouldn’t awaken his ire, and it’s not tempting enough for Keith to want to be the one to test that.

 

Then one day the choice is taken away from him.

 

Keith is making his rounds, forest calm and quiet. The sun peeks through the canopy and makes shapes on the forest floor. There doesn’t seem to be any animals nearby, but he thinks nothing of it. All in all, it’s such a peaceful moment – how is it possible that he misses the human approaching before it’s too late?

 

Well, not entirely too late. Because the man doesn’t notice Keith early enough to see a servant of the forest in the flesh, he notices him after he’s had the sense to hide himself, to transform into a deer. His appearance in his normal form is one similar to a human, but this way the man would not approach him, to attempt to find out what he’s doing deep in the forest and where he is from.

 

Then Keith notices the bow in the man’s hands, the quiver on his back, and realizes he has made a fatal mistake.

 

In the blink of an eye, he’s running for his life. An arrow lands to his left, then on a tree in front of him, both of the shots too close for comfort. He’s faster than the human, managing to put some distance between them, but the man seems to be unreasonably skilled with his weapon of choice. Keith’s not sure if the man is chasing in a desperate effort to get the animal he didn’t manage to catch by surprise, but he’s certainly not able to look back and make sure.

 

Just as he thinks he’s a safe distance away, an arrow sinks into his thigh.

 

The pain is searing, and he is not able to maintain his form like this. He loses his footing as a deer, and by the time he hits the moss underneath his feet, he’s in his normal form again. He has never known pain like this. The Forest God’s servants have no reason to fight amongst themselves, at least not with weapons or fists. Only with words, and even that is seen as unbecoming of them, not serving their true purpose.

 

A whimper escapes him. It’s not a sound he has heard himself make before.

 

There’s blood on him, angry red just like animal blood, and it’s the first time he sees any one of his kind bleed. The wound throbs, feels like a fire spreading all around him. Keith has never given death much thought before; the animals die and that’s how it’s meant to be, but he has never even thought of dying himself. Is his kind even able to die?

 

He tries not to think that he’s about to find out.

 

The last thing Keith sees before losing his consciousness is the hunter, running towards him, putting his weapon away. His face is twisted with panic and it bleeds into his voice, making it shake. “Oh, Gods!”

 

Keith closes his eyes.

 

\---

 

He awakens in a place unlike anything he’s seen before. He can’t see the sky, nor the familiar canopy. It’s blocked by… something, and quickly he understands he is inside one of the huts humans tend to live in - he’s only seen them from afar, but it’s the only logical conclusion. The place is lacking the cool and damp air of caves, as well as the lingering daylight.

 

In fact, the air feels the opposite of one found in caves. There’s a flickering light and it’s warm. Fire, he realizes. Humans must need it to keep warm, and maybe bring light to these living spaces of theirs.

 

His inspecting of the surroundings is interrupted when the man from the forest notices he’s up. He’s sitting near the fire, leaning on his elbows and moving his gaze from the fire to Keith.

 

“You’re awake.” His voice is rich and warm, washing over Keith like a comfort. The man’s face is still tense, and he regards Keith with a reserved gaze. He must’ve noticed the confusion prompted by the unfamiliar environment on Keith’s face. “We’re in my home. You were unconscious, so I brought you here. I didn’t know what to do. I-I was after a deer, and I… Gods, I hit you instead. I didn’t even see you.”

 

The man’s voice breaks at the end of his sentence, and he buries his face in his hands. Keith doesn’t know what to say, so he merely swallows on air, sitting up. So the man doesn’t know Keith was the very deer he had been after. He hadn’t seen him turn. A very good thing for sure, but the pain in his thigh is still present, although not as severe. It’s merely a dull ache now, but Keith doesn’t want to move it.

 

“I patched you up as best I could.” The man is looking at Keith again. He draws in a big breath before continuing. “I am so, so sorry. You can rest here for as long as you want to, and when you feel like returning to your home I will take you there myself.”

 

It’s a confusing amount of kindness for a stranger, Keith thinks. Are all humans like this? From what he has witnessed from afar, no one he’s seen before has held such a warm fire in their eyes. Or has he just not been close enough?

 

The man clears his throat. “My name is Shiro.”

 

Keith realizes he has been staring without a single word. The least he could do was give his name. “Keith.”

 

“Keith,” the man repeats with a gentle smile. “Are you hungry?”

 

The forest sustains its servants, not human food, and that was bound to arouse the man’s- Shiro’s- suspicion soon if Keith stayed here. For now, though, he decides to shake his head.

 

Shiro nods in response. “Alright. Let me know when you are and I’ll fix you something.”

 

It’s incredible, being in this man’s home. Perhaps he just feels indebted towards Keith for injuring him. It’s a fair assumption to make, if humans are anything like Keith’s kin. From what little he has observed before, their behavior does often seem strangely similar.

 

He can’t help feeling curious, as he has never heard of his kind actually meeting humans before, never mind speaking with them. It’s an incredible opportunity to learn, and somehow Keith doesn’t even know where to start. Luckily Shiro seems to be at least equally curious, if not more.

 

“So, where’s home for you? Haven’t seen you around these parts before.” A reasonable question for a human to ask, yet an incredibly tricky one for Keith to answer.

 

“Um.” He needs to evade it somehow. He doesn’t want to lie or leave this kind man hanging, but telling the truth is not an option either. Time to settle for half the truth, then. “The other side of… that forest.”

 

He hides a cringe, but the answer seems to be good enough for Shiro. “Oh, I’ve never been there before. It must be very far. How did you get all the way here on foot? And- forgive me, but aren’t you cold, dressed like that?”

 

Keith spares a glance down at himself. Servants of the forest do not get cold. Their attire is made for beauty, not warmth, and that fact is painfully obvious here in Shiro’s hut, where the man himself is still wearing the wools and fur he shields himself with from the cooling autumn air. Compared to him Keith is, to put it bluntly, barely covered. His arms are bare, chest nearly all the way exposed as well, sheer cloths adorning him elsewhere. Bare feet. It’s obvious a human couldn’t have wandered from a faraway village in such attire without freezing to death.

 

Shiro’s still smiling, but it’s different. It’s lopsided and his eyes have a spark to them as he observes Keith. Keith doesn’t know what to make of it, so he starts bombarding Shiro with questions of his own, everything about human life he’s ever wondered.

 

\---

 

His wound is healing, but not very quickly, so Keith stays with Shiro. He doesn’t mind it. Shiro’s smile is warm and he seems to have endless patience for Keith’s questions about his life. He doesn’t further question Keith about his, only inquires as to how his leg is doing and how he is otherwise feeling. Keith solves the eating dilemma by being the first one of his kind to try human food, supposedly. Surprisingly, it settles well within him. It might be for the best; Shiro’s home is at the edge of the forest, but technically Keith is outside its domain. The additional sustenance might be a good thing.

 

He wonders if his presence is missed. It’s been days, and no one has heard of him. He ought to go back, he knows, but walking is still agony and he finds himself enjoying Shiro’s company. He likes to think Shiro enjoys his company as well. The man smiles a lot, and cracks jokes Keith finds himself laughing at every time. Shiro is unlike anyone he’s ever met.

 

He doesn’t want to leave yet.

 

Shiro makes a living as a hunter, preserving what meat he needs with salt and trading the rest, as well as the pelts. His home is a stone’s throw away from a small village, the people he considers his community. Despite the two of them spending a lot of time outside together, Keith doesn’t want to wander in that direction. He’s convinced other humans can’t be as wonderful as Shiro.

 

It’s fun, learning about human ways. They venture back into the forest every now and then. Shiro delightedly talks about how he hasn’t had this much luck with collecting mushrooms and berries in years, if ever. Keith does his best to hide his smile as he uses his powers to make more and more of them thrive in the direction Shiro is going.

 

The forest is important to humans too, that much is clear. Keith supposes he should’ve realized that earlier already, but seeing it first hand makes it so much more prominent. The food they eat together, the pelts in Shiro’s home and on his back, the firewood he uses to keep his hut warm. The forest gives life, just like he knew. Now he just sees even more different ways it happens.

 

One day, Shiro is chopping firewood outside. It’s a cool day, but clearly the task is something that makes one work up a sweat. Shiro’s upper body is bare and Keith can’t look away. It’s a funny feeling, like something bubbling inside his chest. He’s not sure what to do with it. Only when Shiro notices his staring and gives him a surprised look and a fierce blush does Keith tear his eyes away.

 

What does he know about love and attraction? Not much. His liege has a wife, and the lord loves her dearly – other than that, it’s a little complicated. His kind occasionally enjoy each others’ company, but they are not sociable creatures in the way humans are. This might be the first time Keith truly enjoys someone’s company enough to not long for a peaceful walk alone in the forest. It’s certainly the first time he looks at a body and feels the desire to  _ touch _ .

 

Shiro refuses to let Keith sleep anywhere but on the bed, taking the floor himself. You’re injured, he says. That might be true, but Keith can’t fathom why they can’t just share the bed. When he once asked Shiro that, he got a blush, a cough and a vague answer in return. He did his best to hide his disappointment at not being able to convince Shiro.

 

Shiro is warm. Like a midsummer day. Keith doesn’t ever get cold, but Shiro’s smile never fails to light up a fire inside him.

 

Two weeks pass like it’s nothing at all. Then comes the conversation Keith’s been dreading since the first day. They’re having supper, sitting in front of the fire. It’s a relaxed moment, right up until Shiro breaks the silence.

 

“Something bothers me,” he begins. His stormy grey eyes are staring at the fire absentmindedly. He’s leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. “That day, when I brought you here. The shot that hit you was a stupid one, one I made blindly, overcome with frustration, but…”

 

Keith swallows as Shiro searches for his words, then continues.

 

“I still should’ve seen you around. I fully expected to miss the deer.”

 

It’s crazy, even thinking of telling Shiro the truth, and Keith knows it, but for some reason his reply ends up being anything but a denial.

 

“You didn’t.”

 

Shiro lifts his gaze, looking into Keith’s eyes and frowning. “Pardon?”

 

“You didn’t miss the deer.”

 

There’s a heavy pause. Shiro is staring at him. Keith feels his stomach turning, which is funny, because it’s not really anything he has ever experienced before. Then Shiro speaks again.

 

“Then that means…”

 

He trails off, but Keith knows he’s figured it out. “Yes,” he confirms. He closes his eyes, bracing himself for the fallout, for the man he’s grown attached to to freak out and throw him out of his home.

 

Instead comes a soft inquiry, the man’s voice full of wonder. “What are you, then? A witch, a shapeshifter? Or are you the spirit of that forest?”

 

It surprises him, the awe in Shiro’s voice. He’s not freaking out at all. He’s… curious, fascinated. Keith chuckles at his last question.

 

“No, I’m not him. I’m one of his servants. I’m one of the people of the forest.”

 

“Wow.” Another pause. Shiro’s voice stays soft. “I’ve heard of you.”

 

Keith allows the nervousness to fade away them, looking back at Shiro and giving him a genuine smile. “You thought it was a tale.”

 

“I did,” Shiro chuckles. “But I see it is not.”

 

His eyes roam over Keith then, making him feel hot and bubbly again. It’s pleasant, and he’s relieved. Shiro didn’t freak out. He took the news like he had his suspicions already. With the way he observed Keith’s attire, he probably did.

 

Shiro clears his throat and keeps talking. “The- the tales say that the forest servants are inexplicably beautiful.”

 

Keith doesn’t know how to answer. Shiro is staring at the fire again and his face looks red. Maybe it’s just the lighting? Keith hopes it’s not.

 

“Oh,” he finally manages to blurt out. Shiro looks panicked.

 

“I just meant that, uh. I was just about to say that the, um, the tales were correct, it seems,” he continues with a grimace. It takes Keith a moment to grasp his meaning.

 

“Oh,” he says again. “I’m… beautiful?” Shiro thinks he’s beautiful. Hearing that is… good. It’s more than good, it’s great. It makes a smile creep onto Keith’s face with barely any effort.

 

Shiro is beautiful too. Keith still constantly thinks about how he looks when he is chopping wood. The kind, lovely eyes. The gentle smile, and Shiro’s laughs, both big and small. And the things he does, how he has tended to Keith’s wound, how he’s endlessly patient whenever Keith asks about his life.

 

This is the first time Keith sees him so embarrassed, though. It’s fascinating and somehow very endearing.

 

“Yes, you are,” Shiro replies softly. His features are a little more relaxed again, but he still looks vaguely pained. Maybe paying compliments is difficult for him.

 

It’s not like Keith is any better at receiving them. The confession has made him speechless. He feels… hot, once again. All he knows is that he wants to return the sentiment, he  _ needs _ Shiro to know that these past two weeks, he’s been looking at him too. In a way he’s never looked at anyone before.

 

Since finding the right words is too difficult a task, let his actions speak for themselves.

 

He stands up from his seat, disregarding Shiro’s stunned expression, and makes his way over to him. His garments flutter behind him. And then he’s holding Shiro’s face with both hands – the two of them have touched before, small pats on the back and tender shoulder holds, but this, this is much more intimate – and he does as lovers do, pressing his lips against Shiro’s in a kiss. Because that, he realizes, is what he wants him and Shiro to be. Lovers.

 

For a terrifying second, Shiro stays still. Then Keith feels him exhale, and with that exhale comes large, calloused hands grabbing at his biceps. Not pushing him away but holding him right there, and the kiss ends as Shiro pulls back a little. Keith won’t have it. He chases after Shiro’s mouth, eyes closed, and their second kiss is entirely different – more heat, wetter.

 

The fire keeps on blazing inside Keith.

 

He ends up straddling Shiro’s lap, arms around his neck, Shiro’s hands on his waist. It’s closer than he’s ever been to anyone yet it feels so right. Their kisses are hungry, but not so rushed anymore – he’s here, Shiro’s here, Shiro assumingly feels the same way Keith does. In this moment, they have nothing but time; he’s not fully healed yet, they have finished the day’s chores. The future can wait for a moment.

 

Keith never planned on this, the kiss just an impulse decision, but he can’t bring himself to regret it. He doesn’t  _ want  _ to hold back, needs Shiro to know just what he’s made him feel in only two weeks. So when he feels that Shiro is hard against him, just as hard as he is himself, it’s not scary like he thought it’d be. It’s exciting, and he can’t keep himself from rutting against Shiro as they finally break apart again and Shiro moves on to lay kisses on his neck.

 

“Oh, son of man,” he sighs, burying his hands in Shiro’s hair.

 

“Am I cruel, for feeling a little thankful to have shot you?”

 

Keith smirks in reply. “If this is your cruelness, please spare the rest of the world and give it all to me.”

 

“How benevolent you are,” Shiro breathes and meets his lips again, wet and hot. Keith ruts against him more, even more insistent, swallowing the groan Shiro lets out. He’s chasing something, a release he didn’t know he needed, and breathing the same air as Shiro is exactly where he wants to stay.

 

What this means for the future, Keith does not know. All he needs right now is Shiro, more of him, more of his big hands squeezing his hips. Shiro, moving with him, the two of them seeking pleasure together like this.

 

It doesn’t take long now, both of them worked up and having craved this without even properly realizing it. Keith knows what an orgasm is in theory, yet that knowledge does nothing to prepare him for the actual experience; foreign sounds escape him, his toes curl, it feels like his vision is gone. Shiro holds him close as he shakes, reaching his own peak seconds later.

 

They kiss again, tender and slow, coming down in each other’s arms. Shiro smiles at Keith, brushes his black locks back from his face and whispers to him.

 

“You’re incredible,” he says. Keith returns the smile. Shiro is the one who’s incredible, here.

 

It’s lucky his wound has yet to heal.

**Author's Note:**

> Come and say hi on [tumblr](https://feiroh.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/feiro_)!


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